The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-26
A HOLOCAUST OF FIRE.
BURNING OF THE OPERA CoMIQUE
AT PARIS.

Actors and Chorus Girls Escape in
Their Costumes The Audience File
Out Quietly Without Loss of Life
Thrilling Scenes and Incidents.
PARIS, May 25.-The Opera Comique took
fire this evening and the whole building is
now wrapped in flames.
Fourteen persons who jumped from the
windows are dead, and forty-three were in
jured. 1t is probable that many were
crushed to death in the galleries,
but at present this is uncertain
Five bodies terribly burnt were conveyed
to the National Library. Among them was
the body of woman clasping little boy
in her arms. The moneyreceipts were saved
and deposited in the Gdulois Office. The
firemen showed the greatest courage.
The Military Club rendered great assist
ance in the work of rescuing the people
from the building.
NINETEEN KILLED AND MANY INJURED.
Nineteen persons are now known to be
dead Many of these were supers.
HOW 1T CAUGHT.
An artificial fire apparatus which had
been placed in position in readiness for the
burning of palace in the second act rolled
down from its place near the roof and ex-
ploded below.
SCENE OF HORROR ENSUED.
Women, half clad and carrying their cos
TUNES, fed from the stage screaming; some
of the chorus fed with nothing on but their
tights The flames spread with such
rapidity that in fifteen minutes the stage
was vast furnace Several actors escaped
hu fn ha Of fha eli IF hn
Rue Marivianta, where they were rescued
by the fire escapes
THEIR COURAGE SAVED THEM
NJ Tasquer implored the audience to re-
main seated until the exits were opened,
which they did. If they had made a rush
for the doors the loss of life would have been
terrible. The police outside were unable to
restrain the crowd, who besieged the build
ing inquiring for friends inside, until the
military Gordon was formed.
CRAzED WITH ANXIETY.
One man who wanted to rescue his brother
and sister, raved and tore his hair and me-
naced with stick the people who stopped
him from rushing into the blazing building.
WILD EXCITEMENT RULED ALL.
The scene outside was one of widest ex-
element The falling embers struck the
horses in the surrounding streets, causing
them to plunge and rear. The flames shot
out of every window, forcing the crowd
into the narrow streets where the crush
was terrific.
Mile. Figuarante says that there were $50
persons on the stage when the fire broke out
She heard the glass falling like hailstorm
but told the other girls not to mind it,
but while she was speaking a
column of flame burst through the
wings with a roar and all rushed pell nell
from the stage. Many policemen were
injured.
LOSS YET UNKNOWN.
1t is still unknown how many persons
were unable to escape from the doomed
building.
Only a fortnight ago NJ. steenackers
called attention in the Chamber of Deputies
to the dangerous condition of the Opera
Comique, which was the oldest theatre in
Paris
The audience was delayed a few minutes
by the dense smoke and insufficient light.
The director of Soteu, with his wife and
two children, escaped without injury. The
killed include four firemen There was not
a frantic rush in the theatre, but it is be-
lieved that the staircase became blocked
OVER SIXTY KILLED OR INJURED.
LONDON, May 25.-Hauas' news agency,
of Paris, places the number of persons killed
and injured by the fire in the Opera
Comique last night at sixty. The theatre
was completely destroyed.
SAVED BY AN IRON CURTAIN.
The iron curtain was lowered in front of
the stage and this prevented the fire from
spreading Immediately to the auditorium
and allowed the audience time to escape Men
who carried away the money chest report
that when they left the auditorium it was
empty.
FURTHER PARTICULARS.
The fire brigade distinguished themselves
and many of them had narrow escapes
Most Of the casualties reported were due
to nervousness and fright
Many persons who were unable to trust
themselves to walk the narrow ledge of the
-eernice round the building jumped off in
their terror. One woman coolly walked all
around the cornice, while the flames were
bursting above, until she reached the fire
escape. The victims were almost all singers.
THOUSANDS IN THE STREETS
The streets in the vicinity Of the burned
theatre were crowded until an early hour
this morning. Mr. Sewell, Solicitor of the
British Embassy, said that the audience
showed great calmness when the alarm was
given. When the gas was extinguished he
CROPPED his way TO the balcony and saw peo-
pie in the street laying straw mattresses to
receive the persons jumping from the win
dows.
He was ultimately rescued by the firemen.
A FIERY SHEET.
The fire broke out during the first act Of
the opera of "Mignon." One Of the wings
caught fire from gas jet and the entire
stage was Immediately enveloped in flames.
The fire soon spread TO the whole house.
All the actors ran out in their stage cos
tunes. The audience got out easily, but the
gas was turned Off before all had left the
building and it is feared that some were left
in the upper tiers,
The roof soon fell in, sending showers Of
sparks as far as the Place de la Bourse.
With exception of Madame SELLER, who
perished in the flames, all the actors escaped,
though several Of the esupernumeraries were
injured severely.
Death of Rev. Richard Newton.